Disease of the month: Benign Brain Tumours

The human body is made up of millions of cells which divide throughout their lifespan in order to maintain structure, function and growth. The process of cell division (mitosis) is genetically controlled but occasionally this process causes an error in the structure of the genes, and normal cell growth breaks down. If abnormal multiplication of cells (neoplasia) takes place it can result in a growth called a neoplasm, more commonly known as a tumour - of which there are two categories, malignant and benign. Characteristics of malignant tumours - invade surrounding cell tissue, ta...